Blog Software Reviews

According to most blog software reviews, there are actually two basic categories to consider based on the type of hosting chosen by the blogger. You have hostedbloggingsoftware and server modelsoftware. These categories should not be confused with specific blogsoftware being used today like WordPress, Joomla, Movable Type, and Textpattern among others. These types can further be categorized into free, premium, and hostedsolutions. With blogging reaching tremendous heights of popularity, it is necessary to be aware of these common issues.

Freeandpremiumblogsoftware.

Considered by many bloggers as the most basic in the market, it is commonly offered under the server modelsoftware as a way to encourage bloggers to tryproducts without risk and upgrade to a pay version later on. These are usually characterized by the many limitations imposed, much like any trial software in the computer industry. To unlock the full features, users are required to pay for a certain amount.

When the blogger decides that the blogsoftware is worth investing in, wider range of options is provided. This would be ideal for those who are seeking more flexibility in their work, but would require some amounts of HTML knowledge as well as server functionality. In most cases, customer support is made available once it is transformed from free to premium. This type of model is excellent for bloggers who are still undecided whether blogging is really something they want to do.

The account will normally be placed in a subdomain, which means that visitors will need to pass through the main domain name to access the blog. Many blog software reviews suggest this to those who are looking for more features and are willing to payminimal monthlyfees.

Hostedblogsoftware.

Beginning bloggers will find that this is an excellent choice for them because not only are they easy to use, but there are plenty of tutorials online to serve as reference. Customizing by adding special features would therefore be relatively easy to achieve. The process begins with the blogger logging into the online account to make changes or entries. Some even provide support for mobile posting to allow bloggers to maximize the use of their mobile phones.

This basically requires the blogger to pay for the use of the server where the bloggingsoftware will be installed. The option provides bloggers with an individual domain name, to make it easier for readers to reach the contents. Because of the wide usage of this option, there are a number of hostingservices that provide bloggingpackages on top of the usual webhostingservices. The support can extend to the availability of tools and scripts to use.

WordPress, Textpattern, and Movable Type are undoubtedly three of the more popularly used in this category primarily because of their user friendly options. Based on blog software reviews on hostingservices ideal for this type of blogging, hostgator tops the list based on server speed, reliability, affordability, response time, and customer support.

Self-hostedsoftware.

Bloggers should be aware that this is almost the same as setting up an entire website. Not only will a domain name have to be purchased, but there is also the issue of setting up the hostaccount, downloading the blogsoftware, putting up the database, and configuring theblog itself. If you are up to all of these tasks, then definitely this is something worth considering. Usually, the same type of software available for hostedblogs can be used in self-hostedblogs.

The main benefit to consider with the self-hostedsoftware is that bloggers will be able to maximize the benefits of flexibility, control, and customization. This is ideal for blogs that deal with business marketing or similar themes because everything from the appearance to the operation of the blog will come under full control of the blogger. Even the templates and plug-ins can be customized along with the optimization of the blog for use with search engineresults.

The key is to find a webhostingservice capable enough to handle the obviously increased demands of self-hostedsoftwareblogging. In some blog software reviews, hostgator has been widely recommended especially for Drupal, WordPress, and Joomla due to many reasons. In fact, they are the only hostingprovider that delivers support for both manual and automaticsetup of Joomla including automatic upgrades, to give more choices to bloggers.

AlwaysWordPress.

The last issue related to blog software reviews is the use of the actual software. There is a perception in the online community that WordPress seems to dominate the blogging industry (learn more here). This observation is based mostly on the incredible growth it has achieved and the ability to deliver anything from the basic to a full-featuredblog. There is no doubt that today; it remains as the standard inblogging.

Other software options like Movable Type for example, should not be taken aside. This was actually the first major package made available for blogging. It can be executed in virtually any operating system used today and be paired up with a variety of options in using databases for the storage of the blogs. Many plug-ins are also available to be included during the installation to enhance its functionality.

There are also those who choose CMS (Content Management System) like Joomla, to allow them to build not just blogs, but websites along with other equally powerful online applications. This allows bloggers to keep track of virtually all contents they have on the website, which can include anything from blogs, photos, music, documents, and videos among others. The major advantage considered with this solution is that management does not require technical skills.

The choice seems to always boil down to WordPress simply because bloggers have virtually all the flexibilityand control that they want. Management of multipleblogs, creation of pages that are independent of the maintainedblog, and the functionality to allow people to submit their own content that the blogger can review and publish are extremely beneficialfeatures. There is also ample support from a bloggingcommunity that is focused on the use of WordPress.

These are the more common issues that bloggers will normally encounter when they read different blog software reviews.